Better In Time
by gleechild
Summary: Two-Shot. Just when Nate thought things couldn't possibly get worse, they do. Will he continue his downward spiral or find a way to fix the mess his father made? Mostly Canon to 2x01-2x02 w/ missing BN pin scene, and extra NV scene. COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

_**Part 1 of 2 : Summer, Kind of Wonderful**_

* * *

_Not good, not good, not good!_ He chanted to himself as he breezed through his front door.

It was bad enough that he'd had to jump out a window in his _boxers_, but then to somehow run into the street at the exact moment that Serena was passing Catherine's house? It sounded like a scene from a cheesy overdone movie.

Oh, and Catherine just happened to end things with him before his little example of leaping prowess. How could he forget that part?

He didn't know which was worse: Catherine ending things, or Serena knowing that she'd been covering for him while he was with an older, _married_ woman. He didn't want to think about what Serena's reaction would be. She looked more than a little ticked in the brief glimpse he'd gotten of her over the hood of some vintage hot rod that screamed "fuck me, fuck my car"—if you happened to _like_ old cars. Nate could care less, and he probably wouldn't have even noticed the blasted thing if the grill hadn't nearly collided with his face.

After everything, Blair Waldorf was the very _last_ thing on his mind, and the absolute _last_ person he wanted to see that day.

But she didn't seem to care about his wants.

"Sur_prise_!" Blair exclaimed. Her lips twitched in amusement at the look that must have crossed his face from finding her waiting his living room.

A million things raced through his head to say, not the least of which was 'get the fuck out!' But he was a gentleman first and his manners wouldn't let him invoke his inner Chuck Bass at the moment. Plus, though they hadn't spoken about any of their issues at _all_ since their final breakup, they had managed small exchanges before she left for vacation—all of which took place merely due to their combined desire to help and support Serena. Cussing at her and ordering her away would've been a little over the top.

So, for lack of a better thing to say, he remained silent, just stared at her and waited for her to present her reason for materializing in the middle of his living room.

"_Good_," Blair said sarcastically. "You're _happy_ to see me." She shrugged. "I'll make this quick."

"I'm waiting," he muttered with perhaps too much disdain in his voice.

"I need my pin back," she said, eyes flashing for a second before settling back into an exaggerated smile that twisted up the corners of her lips sardonically.

"Pin?" he asked, confused. That was the last thing he expected her to say.

"Ha," she rolled her eyes. "Of course you'd forget you had it, story of my life."

She threw her hands up in the air in mock surrender. Then she stared at him expectantly with that expression she always used whenever he was supposed to remember something that he was _supposed_ to know but, for the life of him, couldn't remember.

But this time, he did remember. It only took him a few seconds, which was probably a record for him in the stupid game called 'Let's put Nate on the spot!'

"It's summer," he finally said, tight lipped and incredulous. "Why would I bring a sweater with me?" Of course he remembered the pin now. It was just the furthest thing from his mind at the moment. It seemed like forever since he'd used that pin to remind her of how much she loved him so that she would come back to him. That was practically another lifetime ago.

"Oh, you have it," Blair shrugged, gesturing toward the stairs exaggeratedly. "Just get it so I can leave."

Nate looked at the direction of her hand and back at her, unable to believe that she was _still_ trying to order him around even though they'd been broken up since the beginning of the year. He raised his eyebrows and was about to snap that he didn't have the stupid sweater, when she saw the doubt on his face and interrupted.

"Jeeves packs it every year," she explained, looking at her manicure so as not to look at him as she continued. "I told him to."

That stopped Nate in his tracks. "You told my _valet_ to send a _sweater_ with me?" Unbelievable.

"Of course," she shrugged again. "That way, you'd have it wherever you go."

"You're crazy," he said, completely dubious.

She took exception to that. She snapped her head around to glare at him, dropping her hand back to her side. "_No_," she spat the words out angrily. "I _loved_ you. And _stupidly_ thought my heart was safe with you. I was obviously _very_ wrong!"

Silence hung between them, both glaring at each other as all the bad memories flared in their heads.

"_Go get it_," she said between clenched teeth. "Please," she finished as sweetly as possible, dimpling with the faux grin she gave. "I have things to do this evening, and can't possibly enjoy myself knowing that a vital symbol of my emotions is still in _your_ possession."

Nate finally turned on his heel and stalked up the stairs. He hated himself for once again following one of her orders, but if it got her to go away, he'd probably even stand on his head for her amusement. He was having a crap day and a heated exchange with his ex was hardly going to make it better.

When he returned with the sweater—yes, he actually found it and, no, he wasn't at all surprised that the dictates of Blair Waldorf had held firm even after their relationship was over—he threw it at her.

"Just take the entire thing," he muttered with disgust.

The sweater had been one of his favorites, the pin was hers, but he didn't want any part of it anymore. That had been what started this whole mess to begin with. If he'd never decided he missed her, then he never would have fallen in love with her all over again. And if he hadn't had that pin he probably wouldn't have figured out a way to appeal to her, ere go, he wouldn't have gotten her to go to Cotillion with him and then he wouldn't have gotten Chuck's leftovers.

But that was beside the point.

She sighed and began feeling the sleeves, looking for the tiny trinket.

"You got what you came for," he pointed out. "You can go now."

It was like she hadn't heard a word he said as she continued to look for the correct sleeve, finally finding it.

"Still bitter, I see…" she mumbled as she wiggled the small hook that was sewn into the material.

"Wouldn't _you_ be—"

"Ah-ah-ah," she said, looking up beneath her lashes just as pointedly as he'd looked at her before.

He closed his mouth. She was right. She _would_ have been… but she'd gotten over it, rather quickly too.

"At least I told you," he finally excused himself.

Blair shook her head, looking at him with disgust. "The difference was that _you_ cheated, _I_ didn't."

"Riiight," he drawled out, rolling his eyes heavenward.

Blair just smiled to herself in amusement. She knew she was right and he was wrong: story of _his_ life. She was annoying him too much. And she was still fiddling with the stupid pin. Why wasn't she just taking the sweater with her too? Why was she still standing there, arguing with him?

"So, what?" he finally asked impatiently. "Got someone to give that to already? You _do_ work quickly if I remember. Poor Chuck, or _is_ it Chuck?"

She smirked. "Why? Jealous?"

He was not. He started to shake his head.

"I don't owe _you_ any explanation," she spat the words, suddenly looking angrier than he'd ever seen her look at him. She yanked the pin out of the sweater, surely tearing the material—as if he cared—in the process. "I _never_ did."

She balled the sweater up and threw it back at him un-expectantly.

He fumbled to catch the thing before it hit him full in the face.

"Hope it keeps you warm at night," she retorted before turning on her heel and leaving with a hard click of her heels across the wood floor paneling, slamming the door hard on the way out.

He flung the sweater away from him and flopped on the couch in relief that he finally had a few moments to himself.

Hopefully he wouldn't see Blair again for a long time—or at least until school started.

It looked like he wasn't the only one who was still bitter.

* * *

_It's been the longest winter without you  
I didn't know where to turn to  
See, somehow I can't forget you  
After all that we've been through…_

* * *

It still amazed him that he had managed to keep his 'friendship' with Catherine a secret from Chuck. He knew Chuck would've probably been proud of him… but he'd promised Catherine he wouldn't tell anyone. Of course now Serena knew, but he hadn't _told_ her. And he knew she wouldn't tell anyone.

But she had tried to call him last night and this morning too many times to count. He had resorted to putting the phone on vibrate so Chuck wouldn't wonder why he was ignoring it.

… if Chuck was actually paying enough attention to him to notice. As it was, Chuck had spent most of the morning talking about some new guy Blair was seeing and had brought to dinner with her to the Van der Woodsen/Bass home yesterday. At least now Nate knew the location of Blair's pin's new home. As if he cared.

He contemplated mentioning Blair's visit to see him the evening before, but then he thought better of it. Chuck would only want to know all the details, and what could he say? That he and she had both argued like a divorced couple and it appeared she was still just as bitter as him about the breakup?

Nate wasn't completely stupid. He knew that Chuck was jealous of this James person. He'd never actually _seen_ Chuck being jealous, but he figured that the only reason Chuck would return to the city early was because he didn't want to see Blair with the Princeton boy.

…which was actually confirmed by Chuck himself when he finally ran out of excuses—the sprinkler line had been a little transparent. Chuck didn't need see-through material to know what was under a woman's dress. He'd seen enough of what was underneath one, he could probably envision everything just by looking at the outline. Plus, if there was someone there Chuck _wanted_ to see naked, well, he was Chuck Bass. He'd have her in bed before the night was out.

"And, I don't want Blair throwing her call boy in my face," Chuck admitted.

He was surprised Chuck actually admitted that he was bothered by Blair and her new boyfriend, but he just kept up his supportive best friend routine. He really didn't want Chuck to leave early though. Now that Catherine wanted nothing to do with him, he was going to be completely bored over the next few days especially if his best friend wasn't around.

"By the way Archibald…"

Nate almost blanched. Chuck never referred to him by his last name. What was up with that?

"Now that the summer's almost over, I can tell you that I never believed any of the talk that you hit it with my sis."

_Busted._ Nate did blanch that time. He tried to cover it up and make his face go completely blank, but he knew Chuck wasn't buying it. His mind raced for some explanation and he was about to settle on complete denial—he _was_ secretly dating Serena, but they had been trying to keep it under wraps until Serena could talk face-to-face with Blair. Serena didn't know if Blair would be hurt by the info, so they'd decided to wait to go public.

At least, that was part of the story he and she had concocted in case close friends or family members decided to pry into the rumor.

Fortunately, he didn't have to lie—and possibly make Chuck start to obsess over the possibility of Blair actually feeling that way—because apparently when you speak, or think, of the devil, she—or _they_—appear.

"Morning, Waldorf," Chuck said.

Nate wanted to turn and go the other way because, even though Blair was too busy rolling her eyes at Chuck and paying absolutely no attention to _him_, Serena was paying a _lot_ of attention to him.

It was no use. She grabbed him and pulled him to the side before he could say 'Van Der Woodsen'—because apparently calling each other by their last names was the trend that morning.

"Nate, why didn't you call me back this morning," Serena said under her breath, clearly annoyed with him.

He turned quickly to make sure Chuck and Blair weren't paying attention.

"I can't talk about that here," he said quietly, looking around to see who else might be in the vicinity.

"When you told me your secret girlfriend was older, I thought you meant college. Not to mention, Catherine's married!"

Now he was feeling a little sheepish, and was that a little shame creeping in? Wait, what did _he_ have to be ashamed of? He wasn't the one cheating on his husband… er, wife. _Whatever_!

"Catherine ended it with me last night," he just told her the truth quickly. He might as well get that over with before Serena continued to try to lecture him in front of the world.

"What? Tell me," she said, her face going from indignant to concern.

That was the best thing about Serena. She was very perceptive to other people's feelings, so obviously she'd picked up on the hurt in his voice right away. He didn't want to talk to Serena about any of this stuff on the middle of the sidewalk in the Hamptons, spitting distance from their best friends.

"Serena! Let's go!"

Sometimes, but only rarely, Blair Waldorf could be a savior, not the devil. This was one of those times.

Blair's command got Serena moving and she ended the conversation quickly. "Well, I'm glad to hear you're not seeing Catherine anymore. We can talk about it later."

He managed a nod, relieved to see them go. He joined Chuck just in time to hear him on the phone with Eric talking, once again, about Blair's little friend.

He couldn't stop himself from shaking his head. Chuck had it bad.

And it looked like he was going to spend the rest of the morning hearing all about Blair Waldorf while Chuck tried to prove that he was right and Blair was wrong… which reminded him of the argument he'd had with Blair the night before. Maybe he should have told Chuck to make haste out of the city. He could fend for himself for a few days.

But, as he continued following his best friend and listened to him go on and on about 'Princeton' versus 'Georgetown' and how he knew something wasn't right, he found himself agreeing with Chuck's antics. Chuck was going to stick around the White Party so he could snoop on the competition and search out a way to discredit him to Blair.

Nate could only smirk and laugh as he snored his way through a game of croquet—he was pretty sure it was Eric's idea to play that particular game.

He was feeling a little better about things though, especially after he followed Chuck's lead and decided he was going to check out Catherine's husband that night. He was very curious about the man. He probably should have said something to Serena first before telling Cece that he was escorting Serena… but he was positive she would understand.

He was half right.

But ultimately, he got what he wanted. He managed to make _her_ jealous—maybe Chuck should take that little pointer from him… if he could tell Chuck about Catherine he would suggest that technique and the success he'd had with it.

He knew that it was all wrong, but he'd been through so much in the past year he just couldn't stop. He was happy, and he deserved a little happiness for once.

He kissed good bye to summer and made the decision to head back to the city with Chuck the next morning, content that his little summer fling would last a little longer.

He should have known better than to think he could avoid his problems forever though.

He was about to learn that sometimes things don't get better in time.

No matter how much he wished they would.

* * *

_Going coming thought I heard a knock  
Who's there no one  
__Thinking that I deserve it  
Now I realize that I really didn't know__  
You didn't notice you mean everything  
Quickly I'm learning to love again  
All I know is I'ma be okay_

* * *

_To be continued, from Never Been Marcused._

**SONG:** "Better In Time" Leona Lewis


	2. Chapter 2

_**Part 2 of 2 : Never Been Marcused**_

* * *

If you told him that morning that by the end of the day he would have lost all hope for his family's situation to get better—which he had been studiously avoiding all summer, or if you told him that the situation with his father would make him turn down such a desperate path, he probably wouldn't have paid any attention.

He was good at coasting through life and not really absorbing much of what was going on around him. He knew that, and he didn't really mind. The life he was born into made him that way. For the longest time, he didn't have to worry about anything of too much importance. Everything was just handed to him. It wasn't that he expected it be; he was just so used to it that he began to take everything for granted.

So when something happened that was out of the ordinary, his first response wasn't always the right one: disbelief, anger, laughter, and sometimes, _mostly_…

… indifference.

Which is where the day began….

* * *

He was ready to go back to the city, anxious to meet up with Chuck. Chuck had decided to stay long enough for the White Party, but was getting out of dodge that morning. And that was all well and good with Nate.

The Mercer was located in the heart of Soho. Obviously Catherine's intent was to return to the city by the end of the week. He'd just be arriving a little ahead of time. He was fine with that because it wasn't like he'd be able to spend time with Catherine _in_ the Hampton's now that her husband had returned.

He was just pleased that his ploy to make Catherine jealous had worked. His little summer fling wasn't ending as soon as he thought it would.

…which is why he was high on life that morning and not at all prepared for the little bomb his mother dropped.

"The federal prosecutor has taken your father's leaving town as an admission of guilt. They want us to forfeit our assets, as restitution."

"What, they want to take our _money_?" Nate asked, completely confused, which was why he had to spell it out in his own words to make sure he was following the conversation properly.

He didn't think it was possible for anything like that to happen. He'd never thought through the consequences for his father's actions… why should he? They weren't _his_ actions.

"Not yet," Anne said quickly. "But they have frozen our accounts, and now they're making an inventory of everything we own."

It was all getting to be a little too much for him to follow. He didn't understand what it all meant and he honestly was so confused and just… everything was so out of left field. Apparently ignoring a problem didn't make it go away… but he still didn't quite understand that yet.

"I asked your Granddad for help," his mother continued.

"Wait, you told Grandpa?" he asked, beyond flabbergasted. He hadn't seen his grandfather in quite a while. After the shit had hit the fan over his father's embezzlement and fraud charges, he'd been too concerned with helping his family get through the mess than to spend his time with a man who would only put his father down in his presence.

"As you can imagine, he's not very happy with my role in your father's departure. For the time being, at least, I've been cut off," she finished.

"I can't believe you _knew_ all this and you didn't say anything," he said, the flush he'd been feeling from the shock was becoming deeper as his frustration and anger at the situation grew: his frustration at not knowing what to do to help and his anger at, _once again,_ being treated like a child and left in the dark on the important matters.

"All summer I kept hoping I could make it go away," she explained. "And maybe I still _can_," she insisted, "which is why I need you to keep your chin up and trust that your mother's got this handled."

Nate shook his head. "When he left, Dad told me to take care of _you_!" he remembered that part, which was why he'd let her drag him to the stupid Book Club to begin with… though he hadn't really been spending a lot of time with his mother since he met Catherine, but he also hadn't known what was brewing beneath the surface.

"And, you are!" Anne said quickly, smiling reassuringly. "Nate, let's not fight about this please…."

He didn't want to fight about it either. In fact, he just wanted to forget about it. She said that it might be possible for her to fix it. He would focus on that for now.

When his phone rang, he almost smirked at the irony. There she was—his escape from all his family problems, the one thing his mind had been focused on for most of the summer so that he didn't have to think about his father's trouble with the law: Catherine.

His distraction wanted attention in the middle of the mess. Wait—no. It wasn't fair to call her a distraction. He cared about Catherine and loved spending time with her.

But it was the worst time for her to call… and it was the first time all summer that he didn't want to answer the phone immediately when she called…

He felt as though he'd only been fooling himself all summer, with Catherine, and with his father. And now reality needed to be faced in both situations.

But, he couldn't face reality without taking a breather…

So, he ignored everything and met Chuck for a ride into the city.

When you spend your life not having to worry about anything, you pretty much figure that everything will work itself out. So you put it out of your mind.

Or, at least, try to.

* * *

_Thought I couldn't live without you  
It's gonna hurt when it heals too  
It'll all get better in time_

* * *

Being around Chuck made life so much easier, even if he was still spouting off about Blair. Nate didn't mind listening this time though. In some ways, talking about Blair reminded him of a time when life didn't present so many hard decisions for him… because she had always made them for him.

So, instead of taking the perfect opportunity to tell his best friend all about the latest situation his mother had just explained to him, he said nothing. Just like he had never said a word about his secret relationship with Catherine.

Being with Chuck and talking about _his_ problems instead—for once—was actually a blessed relief.

Chuck kept going on about how the 'Princeton' boy had turned out to be a lord, heir to a Dukedom. Nate pointed out the flaws with Chuck's decision to break up Lord Marky-Mark and Blair. It wasn't that he didn't think Chuck was as good as the lord, but part of him knew that Blair was probably infatuated with the title. And there was no way Chuck could compete with that…unless he managed to get the Queen of England to knight him… which, if Chuck put his mind to it… but, no, a knight still wasn't a lord.

And another part of him… as much as he hated to admit it because he wanted Chuck to be happy, was that he didn't _want_ Chuck and Blair to be together. Not out of some misguided sense of jealousy for Blair, but because Chuck was _his_.

It was like, if he and Blair really had gotten a divorce and had to split all their possessions? Chuck should and _would_ be going with him.

Of course, Chuck was not an inanimate object… and he _was _the reason for the second "divorce" anyway (if he continued with that analogy) so, Chuck technically belonged to Blair now…

* * *

_And even though I really love you  
I'm gonna smile cause I deserve to  
It'll all get better in time_

* * *

It wasn't until Chuck dropped him off and he walked into his house that he fully understood that there was no more running away.

Everything was thrown in his face with such clarity, complete with some sexual innuendo the asshole officer made about getting to know his mother, that he knew there was no way he could ignore this anymore.

There were people invading their house, going through all their personal things, putting a price tag on everything in their lives. Admittedly, most of it was just _stuff_ and didn't really have any meaning, but he still felt dirty and wanted to tear a few heads off.

That was when he decided to go see Chuck again. On some level, he wanted to continue avoiding the issue, but on another level, he thought he might actually take the opportunity to tell Chuck what was going on.

Chuck was too busy for him. Nate couldn't believe Chuck was taking his advice about Victrola versus royalty. Chuck had never done anything that transparent before. Obviously Chuck really _did_ belong to Blair now. And that turned Nate off a little, made him back away immediately and not try to get Chuck alone to explain everything… of course Chuck all but pushed him out of the penthouse before he could say anything else.

The penthouse was a little weird for him anyway.

He'd always been able to go to Chuck's to escape family problems, smoke a joint, play some cards, toss back a few drinks, sleep on his couch. How was that going to be possible now that Chuck had moved into Casa van der Woodsen?

So, he left, but he decided to call the one person who had always been there for him since he first met her. If anyone would be willing to listen and not push him away, it would be her. As long as their mutual, amiable, breakup before summer started didn't color that.

He should have known it wouldn't.

Vanessa was a breath of fresh air. It was easier to explain everything to her because she didn't come from money. She wouldn't take the news about his family's monetary problems as something ghastly and embarrassing. She offered advice for ways to make due without all the money. She was supportive, as always.

He realized he really had missed her during the summer, and he couldn't quite figure out why they had decided to end things in the first place.

Of course his mother decided to call and dropped an even bigger bomb on him.

Chuck wasn't liquidating his shares in his most prized business venture for _Blair_; he was doing it for _him_.

That wouldn't do at all.

He couldn't understand why Chuck would do that for him. Sure, he'd do anything he could to help Chuck if the situation was reversed, but his pride wouldn't allow Chuck to do it…. And maybe he felt as though letting Chuck handle things meant that _Nate_ wasn't keeping his promise to his father to handle things himself. Maybe he was partly disgruntled that Chuck was taking care of another woman in his life without Nate's knowledge or agreement. That was a warped way of looking at things, for sure.

And he felt as though Chuck was treating him the same way his mother and father had—like a child who needed to be kept in the dark.

Plus… he wondered if maybe Chuck was doing this for him because he still felt guilty about things with Blair last year. He didn't want Chuck to do it out of some misguided sense that he still had to make things up to him.

He'd figure something else out_,_ o_n his own! _

That was it. That was the heart of the problem with Chuck helping.

Nate _wasn't_ doing things on his own. He wasn't taking care of his family. He was relying on other people. Part of the problem with his relationship with Blair was her ordering him around and him doing it. Part of the problem with his relationship with his father—before he was arrested—was him telling him where to go to college and what career to pursue. Nate wanted to figure everything out on his own. He wanted to be independent.

He wanted to stop being indifferent to everything going on around him and take control of his _own_ life.

Chuck was hindering that.

So he told Chuck to forget about the money. He basically threw Chuck's offer back in his face. He yelled at him for lying to him, and told him that he would handle it.

And he would… he just didn't know how yet…

* * *

_If I'm dreaming don't wanna laugh  
Hurt my feelings but that's the path I believe in  
And I know that time will heal it_

* * *

The end of summer meant many things. The end of the heat, the end of the scorching sun, the end of lazy days spent doing whatever you wanted until school started again in the fall… and the end of summer flings.

Except he didn't know about the summer flings clause. How could he? Every summer for the past… however many years… he'd been in a relationship with Blair. That didn't present itself well to a summer fling. And he didn't get the chance to witness the summer fling rule because his best friend didn't lend himself to summer flings either. For Chuck, every girl he met was susceptible to a short fling—usually of the one night variety—and then he was on his merry way.

No one ever informed Nate of the unwritten rule that summer flings needed to end when the summer ended. He really wished they had, because he might not have found himself in the situation he was in now.

He had managed to figure out a way to help his family, _on his own_.

_Thought I couldn't live without you  
It's gonna hurt when it heals too  
It'll all get better in time  
_

But when Catherine handed him that envelope and asked him _"are we good?"_ all he wanted to do was toss it back in her face.

He didn't know why he was so bothered now… maybe it was because he'd gotten a cold dose of reality when he'd arrived at Blair's little impromptu shindig in search of Chuck and discovered that Catherine was at the party… and that she was the _mother_ of the lord he'd been hearing so much about from Chuck… the _mother_ of Blair's new boyfriend. Well, _step-_mother, but still…

He was actually disgusted with himself for the first time since he started sleeping with Catherine. For the first time, he wondered exactly _how_ old she was… and behold the awkwardness!

The awkwardness that just got worse when his ex discovered them on the floor of the library after he accepted Catherine's offer of money in exchange for the same thing he'd been doing for free all summer… he was already disgusted enough with himself, he didn't need to see the disgust on Blair's face too.

He'd left after biting back at her "I don't need to explain myself to you!" throwing the same words in her face that she had proclaimed to him when she came for her pin two days ago.

And now, here he was.

He had just hung up the phone with the only girl in all of New York that he very much wanted to be with at that moment.

When did life become this… hell? When had yearning to be independent and taking care of his family on his own require him to sacrifice himself?

Because that's what he felt like: a sacrificial lamb, but instead of being slaughtered for his blood, he was being pimped out to a woman almost old enough to be his mother.

Sex.

It was the downfall of everything.

From his relationship with Blair, to his friendship with Chuck, to his own dignity: sex had ruined everything.

Wasn't sex supposed to be something awesome and hot? Why couldn't he seem to just have sex and enjoy it the same way Chuck did? Why couldn't he just have a one night stand and be on his "merry way" like Chuck did? No complications.

The limo was on the move now and he was staring out the window, trying his best not to tear his hand away from hers.

All he could think was that life had to be better than this.

All the times he had argued with his father, or fought with him… it was all because he wanted something better for his life than what _his father imagined for him_.

Everyone had been lining up for the longest time to tell him what was best for him… and look what _he'd_ done.

He didn't want to go down this road.

He was better than this.

_And even though I really love you  
I'm gonna smile cause I deserve to  
It'll all get better in time_

He didn't have to do this. There were plenty of other things he _could_ do. And he _would_ do something else.

His relationship with Catherine was over—if you could even call it a relationship. It had been fizzling out quickly in the past forty eight hours, but now it was definitely over.

_Since there's no more you and me  
It's time I let you go  
So I can be free_

"Stop the car," he said, sitting up straight and pulling away from Catherine's wondering hand.

"What?" Catherine said, halfway between surprise and annoyance.

"Stop the car," he said again before he reached over and pressed the limo divider himself. "Stop the car, now," he commanded the driver.

"Darling, what are you doing?" Catherine asked, thoroughly perplexed.

Nate sighed when the car came to a stop. "Here," he said, shoving the envelope back into her hands. "I can't do this. I'm sorry."

"Nate," Catherine said, quick to paste on a flirtation smile, "honey, what's wrong? Everything was fine five minutes ago. You need the money, just take it."

She tried to give it back to him, but his hand was already on the door handle. He pulled it and the door started to open. "I don't want it, not like this," he shook his head. "See you around, Catherine."

Her mouth dropped open as he got out of the car and pushed the door to shut.

She leaped forward and grabbed the door before it closed. "Nate! If you don't want the money, it's okay. Come back to the car."

"Catherine, it's all over, okay?" Nate said, turning back but ready to spring away if she came for him. She was starting to creep him out a little. "Thank you for the offer and everything… but… just go. Be with your husband and your son, and just forget about me. This was just a summer fling, nothing more. And now it's _over_."

"Nate, come on, you know you don't want to—"

"_No!_" he stifled a shout, not wanting to be come off too angry. "I'm tired of people trying to tell me how to live my life! I _will_ help my mother, but I am not going to do it this way. It may not seem like it, but things _will_ work themselves out, and you know what? _This_ will only make it worse."

"Nate…"

"So, goodbye, Catherine," Nate said with as much finality in his voice as he could muster. "Just… goodbye." And with that, he turned and he was gone.

_And live my life how it should be  
No matter how hard it is I'll be fine without you  
Yes I will_

Of course, now he just needed to figure out which options he had left.

The most pressing dilemma, however, was being currently stranded in the middle of the city. Well, he could catch a taxi, but he hadn't bothered to snag any cash from anywhere… and he'd just plopped quite a few bucks down on Catherine's lap…

And he needed some friendly advice, so…

"Well, later came faster than I thought it would."

"Vanessa, could you… pick me up?" he asked, holding his cell phone tightly, feeling like an even bigger dolt after blowing her off minutes ago.

"Uh… sure, but… what's wrong? Is everything okay?" she asked, concerned.

"I'll explain when you get here," he said, rattling off his location.

"Hungry?" she decided to ask. She had just finished blowing out all the candles and putting all the food away, clearing away all vestiges of her impromptu romantic evening with Nate that had just gotten shot to hell.

"Starved," he said, realizing that he hadn't eaten anything since that morning, and it had been a _very _long day.

"Ever eaten Chinese out of a box in a van before?" she said, rolling her eyes at her attempt at humor.

"No… but there is a first time for everything," he said, sighing, already feeling more relaxed just by having called her.

"True," she said. She almost laughed but she felt as though something was really wrong. "I'll be there in ten minutes."

* * *

"Hot meals on wheels," she laughed and nodded toward the bag in the middle of the seats. "Well, it's sort of hot now."

"It's perfect," he said with a rueful smile as he poked his way through the bag, dragging out some fried rice.

"So, where we going?" Vanessa asked with a smile, still double parked, waiting for his instruction.

Nate pushed around the rice with a fork for a second before he sighed and looked at her. "Before we go any further, I need to tell you… I almost did something stupid tonight… to get the money my family needed, but I didn't… but, er—," he didn't quite know how to explain everything. He didn't even know if she would understand why he'd almost done what he did…

"Nate, just spit it out," Vanessa said reassuringly, with that look that let him know he was being an idiot again because he really _could_ tell her anything. "Whatever it is, it's okay."

He nodded, still pushing the rice around, trying to find the words to explain.

"Were you going to rob a bank?" She teased with a laugh when she realized he was still having a little problem telling her.

He almost snorted with laughter himself at that. He needed to be careful because he really didn't want a nose full of rice.

He shook his head, "No."

"Sell a kidney? Donate sperm? Enter a high stakes poker game and cheat your ass off?"

Now, why hadn't he thought of that before? He even knew someone who could teach him how to cheat…

But, no, that wouldn't solve his problems and it might very possibly get him killed.

"Nate, it doesn't really matter what it was because you _didn't_ do it," Vanessa explained. "So, either tell me or don't. It only matters if _you_ want to tell me. Otherwise, just tell me where we're going because people are getting a little ticked." She indicated the cars behind her that were trying to get into the next lane but having problems due to the traffic.

"Oh, oh, right," Nate said and rattled off the address.

They traveled in silence for a little while. He was trying to decide what to say, whether he should just give her the full details or not. It was all very confusing.

"So… does this mean you figured out an alternative to poverty? Or have you finally accepted that there is just more to life than money and you'll be just fine without it?" Vanessa finally broke the silence.

"Definitely the first," he said with some derision. There was no way his mother would be able to adjust to life without money… and honestly? He had no idea if he would be able to either…

"Well, we're here," she said as she parallel parked smoothly.

He closed the rice box and put it back in the bag with the fork. "Thanks for dinner, and thanks for the ride…"

"So, do you want me to go in with you or… is that it then?" she asked hesitantly and awkwardly, speaking volumes with her question.

He reached out for her hand. She let him drag it across the seats, and he squeezed her palm for a moment. "This is definitely not _it_," he said. "This will never be _it_." He looked at her pointedly. He wanted to go in alone, but he wanted to make sure she understood that things were definitely not over between them, not by a long shot.

She tried to contain the joy she felt at his words. They were so simple, but said everything.

"I'll call you later, Abrams," he said. "This might not work, but I've got to give it a shot. Anything's better than where I've been tonight."

"Everything will work out," she reassured. "It'll all get better in time."

"I'm counting on it," he said, squeezing her hand once more before he turned and looked at the big imposing building. To say that he was slightly intimidated would be the understatement of the year.

He didn't say anything else to Vanessa, just looked at her once more before he opened the van door. She gave him another reassuring smile which he accepted with a nod. He let go of her hand and then he left.

* * *

_Thought I couldn't live without you  
__It's gonna hurt when it heals too,  
__It'll all get better in time._

* * *

Nate waited anxiously in the luxurious study, knowing that he'd arrived a little late in the evening and would be lucky if the occupants were still awake.

He hoped like hell that this would work; his coming here and asking for help face-to-face.

And, of course, if it didn't, he'd just swallow his damn pride and call Chuck again. It had only been a few hours since he spurned his offer; even Chuck Bass couldn't spend that much money in that amount of time.

But he was really hoping it wouldn't get that far.

"Well, Nathaniel," came a gravelly voice from the doorway. "Should I ask why you're here at this time of night, or can I already hazard a guess?"

"Mother and I, we need your help," Nate said, standing and looking the man dead in the eyes. "You may not approve of anything my father has done, or anything my mother has done to help him. But we are a family, through thick and thin. Families love and protect each other. Or they should..."

"And I'm here to remind you that you _are_ a part of this family. I'll do whatever it takes," he'd already almost done more than he should have.

Nate forced himself to look into the eyes of the man across from him. The man could be very intimidating when he wanted to be, Nate knew this, but he was also done with backing down. If he was going to save his mother, this was what it was going to take.

"Will you, Grandpa?"

* * *

_Finished._

SONG: "Better In Time" Leona Lewis


End file.
